Air compressor



C. OLSQN Aug. 18,1931.

AIR COMPRESSOR Filed Sept. 26. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m R5 OZ ma V 5 Mk. V, w 6

WITNESS W ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18,- 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR COMPRESSOR Application filed September 26, 1929. Serial N0. 395,317.

My invention relates to improvements in air compressors and it consists in the combinations and constructions herein described and claimed.

' An object of my invention is to provide an air compressor that is compact, easy to operate and has few bearing surfaces that are likely to wear out.

A further object of my invention is to provide an air compressor that is self-cooling.

A further object of my invention is to provide an air compressor which requires no tank for the purpose of securing a constant pressure. A further object of my invention is to provide an air compressor which has no heavy wheels or other inertia elements for the purpose of a uniform rate of operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described which is simple in construction, has few parts and is not likely to get of order easily.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which 30 Figure 1 is a front elevational'view of my device,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevational sectional view through the operating mechanism and housing of my device, the prime mover and other parts being shown in elevation,

Figure 3 is an elevational view of a portion of the device with parts thereof cut away for clearness .of illustration,

Figure 4 is a top plan view of my device,

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2,

. Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 2, i

Figure 7 is adetail view of a portion of the device with parts thereof shown in section, and

Figure 8 is a sectional detail view of a portion of the device.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a supporting housing 1 comprising a power chamber 2 and a pump operating chamber 3. Mounted within the chamber 2 is a prime mover 4, shown as a motor referably, though it may easily consist 0 any other power means. This motor is fixedly positioned by braces 5 positioned thereabout and fixedly mounted on the walls of the housing 1. The rotatable shaft 6 on this motor is rotatably mounted on thrust-bearing means generally shown at 7 and. comprising the bearing collar 8 and the ball-bearing 9 and the bearing cap 10. This bearing cap is mounted in the bottom portion 11 of my housing 1. The other end of this shaft 6 extends through a journal 12 in the partition 13 separating compartment 2 from compartment 3, for a purpose soon to be described. It is readily seen that energization of prime mover 4 will cause a rotation of shaft 6. o

On that portion of shaft 6 extending into chamber 3 is mounted the Wobbler shaft member 14, non-rotatably secured thereto by suitable keying means shown at 15.. The bottom of this Wobbler shaft 14 is bearingly supported by the boss 16 of the partition 13. The other end of the shaft 6 is rotatably mounted in the partition 17 separating chamber 3 from the fan chamber 18. Non-rotatably secured to the projecting portion of shaft 6 above the partition 16 is a fan 19 for an operation soon to be described.

Rotatably mounted relative to the Wobbler shaft 14 but non-rotatably mounted relative to the fixed portions of my device, is a wobbler plate 20. This Wobbler plate is mounted on its wobbler shaft by ball-bearings 21, which support said plate from the concave surfaces 22 and 23, the surface 23 being provided by an adjustable bearing collar 24 and locking collar 25 therefor, as more clearly shown in Figure 8. Mounted through the apertures 26 are the connecting rods 27, connected to the Wobbler plate 20 for universal movement by the ball 28 adjustably related thereto by means of the thread shown, and

the socket 29 forming the segmental-spherical surfaces 30 in the Wobbler plate 20. These connectm rods 27 comprise within their length resilient portibns which may be of any suitable form but are shown preferably as the springs 31. The other ends of these connecting rods 27 are pivotally connected as at 32 to piston members 33. As. shown most clearly in Figure 2 these pistons 33 have projecting abutments or bosses with rounded bottoms for cooperation with the apertures 26 and the surface of the wobbler plate 20 surrounding said apertures, for an operation easily understood.

For cooperation with my pistons 33 I provide cylinders 35 suitably mounted about fan chamber 18 between partitions 31 and 36.

Positioned on top of the partition 36 is the wall or cover member 37 forming a compressed air chamber 38. In suitable apertures 39 in both the partition 36 and the cover 37 the valve members 40 comprising the fixed seats 41 and the movable valve members 42 are positioned. These valves are normally urged to closed position by the springs 43 operatively positioned thereon as is readily apparent from an examination of Figure 2. They are also operated by pressure exerted on the outside thereof. In suitable apertures 44 provided in partition 36 are valve members 45 comprising the fixed seats 46 and the balls or movable members 47 resiliently pressed into closed position by spring members 48 operatively engaged between said balls 47 and shoulders 49 on cover member 37. This cover member is provided with a nozzle 50 for a purpose soon to be described.

For cooling the various parts of the device the openings 51 in the lower portions of the housing are provided. These openings permit communication of the chamber with the -outside atmosphere. Suitable apertures, not shown, are also provided in the partition 13 and the partition 17 for permitting communication of the various chambers with the fan chamber for cooling purposes.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof will be readily understood. This mechanism, as has previously been stated, has been designed for the purpose of providing a umform flow of compressed air. When it is desired to secure a uniform flow of compressed air, the motor 4 is energized by any suitable means, not shown, revolving the shaft 6. The wobbler shaft 14 being non-rotatably fixed or keyed to said shaft revolves therewith, imparting to the wobbler plate 20' through the bearing surfaces 22 and 23 a slant-wise or wobbling motion as readily understood. This motion of the wobbler plate 20 causes a reciprocation of pistons 33 in cylinders 35, the spring tensioned connecting rods 27 causing constant engagement of said piston members 33 with said wobbler 20. An examination of the piston and cooperating cylinders shown in: section at the left of Figure 2 will disclose that atmospheric air or air from any source outside of the device on" the down stroke of the reciprocating motion of the piston member 33 will open the valve 39 because of the reduced pressure in the cylinder.

On the subsequent up stroke of the piston the valve 39 will be closed and the valve 45 opened due tothe greater relative pressure existing in the cylinder over that existing outside of valve 39 and within the compression chamber 38. It is readily apparent that the compressed air in the cylinder will be forced into compression chamber 38, through nozzle 50 and into any container or to any work to be performed thereby. The fan, of course, will supply suflicient air to the parts for cooling.

It is clear that I have devised an air compressor whose operating parts cooperate to provide a noiseless and eflicient mechanism. The spring-tensioned connecting rods 27 especially provide a novel connecting means between a wobbler and a piston, thus makin a comparatively noiseless, frictionless an compact device.

I claim 1. In an air compressor, reciprocating pistons, for compressing the air, provided with apertured protuberances forming bearing abutments, and resilient connecting rods extending through said apertures and pivotally connected to said pistons and provided with hearing abutments adjacent their ends, and means for reciprocating with pistons, comprising a wobble plate engaging between said bearing abutments.

2. In an air compressor, reciprocating pistons for compressing the air provided with apertured protuberances forming bearing abutments, resilient connecting rods extending through said apertures, pivotally connected to said pistons and provided with bearing abutments adjacent their ends, a

- wobble plate having apertures for the passage of said resilient connecting rods therea through and bearing seats adjacent said apertures for engagement with said bearing abutments and means for rotating said wobble plate.

3. In an air compressor, reciprocating pistons for compressing the air provided with apertured protuberances forming bearing abutments, coil springs having their ends extending through said apertures and being pivotally connected to said pistons, bearing abutments adjustably positioned on the protruding ends of said springs, a wobble plate having apertures for engagement about the endsof said springs and bearing seats adjacent said apertures for engaging with said bearing abutments and means for rotating said wobble plate.

4. An air compressor comprising a compression chamber, cylinders communicating with-said compression chamber and the outside atmosphere for the compression of fluids therein, means for reciprocating said pis- 3 CHARLES OLSON. 

